Shaving device with offset slots



J. o. JENSEN ETAL. 2,273,524

SHAVING DEVI CE WITH OFFSET SLOTS Feb. 17, 1942.

Filed Oct. 1, 1937 uuun'umuuuuuuun Y 26 a mm- RNEYS Patented Feb. 17, 1942 SHAVlNG Dnvron WITH OFFSET sLo'rs I Jens 0. Jensen, Miami Beach, Fla., and Bernard F. Connolly, New'York, N. Y.; said Jensen assignor to said Connolly Application October 1, 1937, Serial No. 166,738 8 Claims. (01. 30-43) This invention relates to shaving devices of the type having cooperating slotted shear members, one of which is operated relatively to the other by power means comprising usually an electric motor mounted in thehandle of the dev1oe.

The effectiveness and speed of shaving operation of such types of devices are dependent to a very large degree upon the ability to get the hairs into the slots of the shearing areas. Close examination shows that many hairs on the face have a tendency to mat or curl down on the face, and as a consequence, unless an open hair receiving slot passes directly over them, particularhairs will fail to reach the shearing edges. Also in the cases where a hair has been caught by a slot which is out of alignment with the base of the hair, and the hair is bent over somewhat when it is caught by the shearing edges, such hair will not be sheared oii sufficiently close to the skin for a satisfactorily smooth shave.

thin. With blades of such thinness, however, there is a distinct limitation on the width of the individual slots at the cutting areas, since'too wide slots will permit the skin to project thereinto far enough to be contacted by the rapidly operating movable blades and produce cuts or a burning sensation.

The present invention is directed to this prob- In all cases, for a close shave it is necessary thatthe blades of the skin contacting member be lem of enabling all the hairs to enter fully into the slots, and to do so in .a rapid manner and with a minimum of manipulation of the razor; but at the same time eliminate all danger of cutting or burning the skin. The outstanding features which contribute to these results comprise an arrangement in which there is provided a central comb portion and slotted cutting areas on each side thereof, the slots of the cutting areas each communicating directly with the comb spaces but with the slots on one side offset from the corresponding slots on the opposite side. The spaces in the comb area are widened so as to extend over and include the ends of both of the opposed slots which meet therein, and such hairs as enter first at the spaces of the comb section may pass freely into either slotdependent upon the direction of movement of the shaving device. As a result of the cutting slots being offset from each other, they cover different or additional cutting areas and the total width of cutting slot space exposed directly for the entrance and shearingof hairs in the normal back and forth movement of the deviceis correspondingly increased. The comb portion may vary in its detailed construction and relation to the adjoining cutting blade portions. Of particular advantage is a comb portion of the type which presents teeth elevated somewhat above the general .contour of the face contacting area of the razor head. Other features and refinements in this connec tion will be apparent from the more complete description given below as applied to the typical embodiments selected for illustration.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements} and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of which invention will be indicated in the claims. 1

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in

, which:

Fig. 1 is an organizational view showing the general features of a shaving device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top planview of the device of Fig. 1, partly broken to show, also, a top view of the inner cutter;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3-3 of Fig, 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 2,

but on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the ends of the teeth as cut by a plane 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 3, but showing a differently shaped comb and blade formation;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the comb teeth of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a partial view of a single blade including the intermediate comb portion of a type like that of Fig.7; and

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9, but showing a somewhat different comb arrangement.

The general features of a shaving device adapted to embody and utilize the present invention is shown particularly in Fig. 1. Such a device includes a handle I0 having removably secured therein by any suitable means'a head II, which includes a fixed outer cutter members I2 and an inner movable cutter member l3. The handlelfl has mounted therein a motor of a suitable type (not shown) adapted to rotate a shaft [4. The shaft 14 carries an eccentric pin l5 adapted to operate in a transverse slot [6 of the movable cutter member IS, and, in the specific arrangement shown, to impart a reciprocatory motion to the member [3. Both the outer and the inner cutter members are provided with cooperating blades and slots tobe described more in detail hereinafter.

Further features of the shaving head II include a pair of spring pressed balls ll, one of which is shown in detail, adapted to urge continuously the shearing members into close contact. When the head I! is assembled on the handle, plungers l8, only one of which is shown, are forced upwardly compressing the corresponding spring I9. When the movable cutter member I3 is removed from the head H escape of the 7 balls I! is prevented by a small circular flange 20. A plate 21 is secured by suitable means, such as screws 22, to the body portion 23 of the fixed member of the shaving'head. The plungers l8 project downwardly through the plate 2! when the head is removed, relieving the springs of pressure, but are prevented from dropping out by the flange portion 24. The fixed or stationary cutter member of the shaving head may be variously constructed, either from an integral piece or from separate elements, but, as shown, it comprises in general a plate 25 suitably shaped and secured to the block or body portion 23.

The invention lends itself to shaving heads of various shapes, but operates to particular advantage in a head of a general form such as is shown in transverse section in Figs. 3 and 6. The face contacting area of the razor shown is generally arcuate in form. As appears in Figs. 2 and 4, for example, the outer shear plate is provided with opposed cutting slots and 2'! with an intermediate comb portion 28 shown on an enlarged scale in Fig. 4. This comb portion, it will be observed, comprises widened slot areas 29 and correspondingly narrowed teeth portions 30. Of particular importance is the offset arrangement of the slots on the opposite sides of the comb portion. As will be observed, the slots 26 on one side are laterally offset from the corresponding slots 21 on the opposite side. The degree of ofiset may vary under different constructions, and is dependent upon other related factors. In Fig. 4 the oiTset is shown as 100%; that is, if the lefthand cutting edge of slot 26 were continued down it would coincide with the righthand cutting edge of the slot 27. A lesser offset amounting to about 50% is shown in Fig. 7. As a result of the offset slot construction connected by the widened comb or hair-receiving portion at the contiguous ends, when the device is moved back and forth across the face in the general direction of the slots, the hairs have an opportunity of passing directly into an open slot over an area corresponding in width to the combined width of the opposed slots 26 and 21.

Cooperating with this feature of offset slots in a particularly effective manner, is the comb section comprising the widened slot portions 29 and the narrowed teeth 30 at this point. From Figs. 3 and 4 it will be observed that the inner movable cutter is spaced from the outer fixed cutter at this central comb portionby reason of the depression or cut-out portion 32. The narrow comb teeth with the wide intermediate open spaces serve, under the scrubbing action of the normal back-and-forth movement, to direct all hairs into one or the other of the opposed slots.

' 4. The thickness thereof may be desirably in the With the widened hair receiving areas the opportunity of getting into the slots is increased and shaving is accomplished with a minimum of razor travel. In this connection it may be noted that the widened comb spaces merge by curved edges into the opposed slots, and hairs may pass easily from the hair-receiving comb portion into the cutting areas.

The eiTectiveness and particular manner of operation of this comb portion may be modified and enhanced in various ways in accordance with the principles of this invention. As shown particularly in Figs. 9 and 10, this comb portion may be elevated above the general contour of the outer cutter whereby the teeth will dig down into the surface of the skin and straighten out certain hairs and direct them into the cutting slots more effectively. Fig. 10, which is on an enlarged scale, shows this feature as applied to a construction resembling that of Figs. 1 to 4, for example. This figure represents a view such as would be seen looking in the direction of arrows Ill-I0 of Fig. 4. The elevated comb portion is shown at 34 and the widened comb spaces ar represented by the numeral 29, corresponding to the spaces so numbered in Fig. 4. Fig. 9 discloses an elevated comb portion 35 in a somewhat differently shaped slot and comb arrangement, similar in general to that of Figs. 6 to 8, to be described shortly.

The thickness of the blades at various points will vary in accordance with the other factors and details of construction, and in the cases where the comb portion is not additionally ele- 1 vated over the general contour of the fixed shear member, the blades at the comb portion will be relatively thin, gradually increasing in thickness to the point where the slots terminate, such as the points 36 in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a section through the comb portion of Figs. 2, 3 and neighborhood of .004 inch.

It is of particular importance to note that although the effective width of slot for direct ad- 1 .mittance of hairs is greatly increased in the present construction, the actual width of an individual slot at the cutting areas may be kept narrow enough so as to prevent the skin from projecting therein far enough to be engaged by the movable cutter teeth. As a typical example.

the slot portions 26 and 21 in Figs. 4 and 5 may be approximately .008 inch wide, but the effective area for the reception of hairs is in fact double this value, i. e., .016 inch in width. It is to be noted also that the comb teeth may be made as thin as practical from a manufacturing and construction standpoint without any harmful effects from the skin projecting beyond the inner surface at this point, since the inner cutter is spaced therefrom throughout the central comb area. In connection with this discussion as to dimensions it should be noted further that the width as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, for example, is exaggerated for clarity, and that in actual practice they would be finer with more total teeth to a shaving head. A suitable spacing could be selected as .040 inch from center to center of adjoining teeth.

Variations in the shape and character of thecomb portion, which includes the intermediate widened spaces and correspondingly narrow teeth portions, have been referred to to some extent above. Another specific form difiering from that of Figs. 4 and 5 is shown in Figs. 6 to 9. In

Fig. 4 the widened spaces of the comb area are shown as generally circular in plan view, su'ch by a milling operation employing a V-shaped cut-' ter suitably advanced into the area connecting the opposed slots 39 and 40. It will be observed that the widened comb spaces 4| merge into the opposed slots 39. and 40 along smooth gradually curving surfaces, thereby insuring the easy and ready advance of the hairs into either the slot 39 or 40, dependent upon the direction of movement. The external surface of the central comb portion may coincide with the general contour of the outer surface of the fixed shearing member or may be elevated therefrom, such as is shown at 35 in Fig. 6, and on an enlarged scale in Fig. 9. g

The inner movable shear member may be variously shaped, dependent upon the manner of operation and the shape of the outer cutter. In the device of Fig. 2 the movable shear member has opposed slots 42 and 43 offset from each other similarly to the slots of the outer shear member. The bottom or inner terminations M of the slots slope outwardly and downwardly as shown in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 3. It has been found in the operation of the razor that this arrangement in general operates effectively to convey the cut hairs away from the shearing edges, and

to direct the cut hairs into the openings 45, from which they may readily escape out of the ends of the cutter..

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and. not in a limiting sense.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a shaving device a relatively fixed shear member having a series of alternate slots and blades on each side of an intermediate longitudinally extending comb portion, each slot on one side communicating with a corresponding slot on the opposite side but laterally oifset therefrom to pass over different areas of the face as the shear member is moved back and forth in the general direction of the slots, the contiguous ends of the opposed slots being connected by a space widened to include both such contiguous ends, the teeth on one side comprising generally continuations, respectively of teeth on the opposite side but offset similarly to said slots; and movable shear means under said fixed shear member in shearing relation with said slots.

2. In a shaving device a fixed shear member having slots therein to form teeth, said slots being arranged in pairs, the direction of the respective slots of each pair being the same and corresponding to the normal line of bodily movement of the device across the area to be shaved but laterally offset from each other-and having generally opposed ends meeting at a common enlarged opening forming a hair receiving comb portion, and adapted to permit the ready entrance of hairs directly from said enlarged'opening into either one or the other of said slots, dependent upon the direction of forward or backward movement of the device in shaving; and a movable shear means arranged to cooperate with said fixed member for shearing the hairs but spaced from said comb portion.

3. In a shaving device a relatively fixed shear member having a series of slots forming teeth therebetween, said slots being widened at an in-' termediate area with a corresponding narrowing at such area of the teeth thereby forming an intermediate comb portion extending longitudinally. of said member with cuttingareason each side.

thereof, the slot portions at one side of said widened area being offset laterally from the corresponding slot portions on the opposite side and the respective slot portions each merging smoothly into the corresponding widened area; and a movable shear member having teeth bearing against the under side of said fixed member but shaped to present a non-cutting space under said comb portion.

4. In a shaving device a relatively fixed shear member, a movable shear member mounted in shearing relation to said fixed member, said fixed member having transversely extending slots forming teeth therebetween, the teeth being reduced in width at an intermediate portion to form a comb portion of narrowed teeth and correspondingly widened slot portions, the slot portions at one side of said comb portion being offset laterally from the corresponding opposite slot portions, and said movable shear member being spaced from said fixed shear member at said comb. portion to permit the ready entrance of hairs.

5. A shaving'device comprising a relatively fixed shear member, and a movable shear member mounted under said fixed member in shearing relation thereto, said fixed member having transversely extending slots forming teeth therebetween, the teeth having an intermediate portion elevated above the contour of the remainingportions and being narrowed at said intermediate portion with corresponding widened slots at that point to form comb teeth, the slot portions atone side of said comb portions being ofi'set laterally from the corresponding opposite slot portions, said movable shear member being spaced from the teeth of the fixed member at said elevated portions.

6. In a shaving device a relatively fixed shear member having a series of alternate slots and blades on each side of an intermediate comb portion, each slot on one side communicating through a widened space with a corresponding slot on the opposite side but laterally offset therefrom, the teeth on one side comprising continuations of the corresponding teeth respectively on the opposite side and offset therefrom, the narrowed teeth at said widened spaces being also elevated above the general outer contour of said fixed member to form said comb portion; and movable shear means under said fixed shear member in shearing relation with said slots.

'7. A shaving device comprising an outer fixed shear member of generally arcuate form in transverse section having an intermediate comb portion extending longitudinally thereof and having pairs of opposed slots offset laterally from each other, the contiguous ends communicating through a space widened at said comb portion to include the respective contiguous ends, the teeth on one side comprising continuations of the respective teeth'on the opposite side but ofiset therefrom corresponding to the slots; movable shear means under said fixed member in shearing relation with the slots adjacent said comb portion; and means for operating said movable shear means.

8. A shaving device comprising a relatively fixed hear member of generally arcuate form in transverse section, having an intermediate comb portion extending longitudinally thereof, and a series of alternate blades and slots on each side of said comb portion extending in the same general transverse direction, said slots being arranged in opposed pairs, the slots on one side being laterally offset from the respective opposite slots but communicating through a space widened at said comb portion to include both contiguous slot ends, the blades being continuous but narrowed at said comb portion and being elevated at said portions above the general outer contour of said fixed arcuate member; a slotted movable shear member mounted under said fixed member in shearing relation thereto but having a depressed portion spaced from said comb portion; and means for reciprocating said movable member transversely to said slots.

JENS O. JENSEN.

BERNARD F. CONNOLLY. 

